The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-12-08
TALMAGES SERMON.
The Weekly Discourse of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher
subject; "Thirst i'm u Cavern -

Text; "Oh, that one ,pould gire me dr,nl
or me tcater of the iceH of Bethlehem, tphic
IS on TIE 9ate"-2 Samuel, xiii, Is.
War, always distressing is especially ruin
nus in harvest time, When the crops are nj
ready for the sickle, to have them trodde,
town ny cavalry horses and heavy supply
trains outlying the fields is enough TO max,
any mans heart sick. When the last great
war broke out in Europe, and France anC
Germany were coming into horrid collision.
rode across their golden harvests, and saw til,
tents pitched, aud the trenches dug in tn,
very midst of the ripe fields, the long
scythe OF battle sharpening to nov
Gown haryests of men in great
winrows OF the dead. II was at this season
OF harvest that the army of the Philistine,
came down upon Bethlehem. Hank to the
ciamor OF their voices, the neighing of Their
chargers, the blare of their trumpets md the
clash of their shields
Let David and his men fall back! The
Lords host sometimes loses the day.
But David knew where to hide He
had been brought up in that country.
Boys are inquistive and they know ali aboEt
theregion where they were born and brought
up. II you should go back to the old home,
stead, you could, with your ewes shut, find
Your way to the meadow, or the orchard. or
the hill back of the house, with which Won
We're familiar thirty or forty years ago. So
David knew the cave of Adullam. Perhaps,
IN ms boyhood days, he had played "hide--
a tho with his comrades all about
the OLD cave; and though others
might, not have known it, David did.
travellers say there is only one way of get
ung into that cave, and that is by a yery
narrow path; but David was stout, and
steady-headed, and steady nerved; and so,
with his three brave staif-otficers he goes
along that path, finds his way into the cave,
slts down, looks around the roof and the
DARK passages of the mountain, feels yery
weary with the forced march; and water he
must have, or die. do not know but there
may have been drops trickling down the side
OF the cavern, or that there may
nave been Some water in the
Goatskm slung to his girdle; but
Snat was not what he wanted. He wanted
ueSp' luii, cold drink, such as man gets
oniy out of an old we'll with moss-covered
nucket. David remembered that very near
that cave OF Adullam there was such a we'll
as that, well to which he used to 90 in
poyhood-the well of Bethlehem; and he al.
mos. imaglnes that he can hear the LIQUID
pIash OF that well, and his parched tongue
moves through his hot lips as he says: "Oh,
.hat one would give me drink of the water of
Ihe We'll or Bethlehem, which is by the gatelp
O
rave staff-oflicers bounded to their feet and
START. Brave soldiers will take even hint
from their commander But between them
and the well lay u host of the Philistines: and
Wnat could three men do with great armvl
heJ Where there is will there is way, and,
J, with Their swords sashing this way and that,
I ~, make their path to the WELL While the
i, hiiistlnes are amazed at the seeming fool
hardness of these three men, and cannot
make up their minds exactly what it means,
inc INC three men have come to the we'll
they drop the bucket, They bring
up, the, water. They pour it in the
pail, and then start for the cave. "Stop
them!' cry the Philistines. clip them with
Your swords! Stab them with your spears!
gene around the hill. The hot rocks are
.splashed with the overlooking water from
me vessel at it is carried up the cliffs. The
Ihree men go along the dangerous path, and
with cheeks flushed with the excitement. and
all out of breath in their haste they fling their
swords, red with the skirmish to the side of
5i cave, and cry out to David: "There,
ESapIain OF the host, is what you wanted: a
the gaten ~
A text is of no use to me unless I can find
Christ in it; and unless can bring a Gospel
OUT OF these words, that will arouse and com
lort and bless, | shall wish had never seen
lnem; for your time would be wasted, and
against my soul the dark record would be
made that this day l stool before great au-
alence OF SHINING, suffering, and dying men,
ana told them of no rescue. By the cross Of
the Son OF God, by the throne of the eternal
Judgment, that shall not be! MAY the Lord
Jesus help me to tell you the truth todayi
You know that carrier pigeons have some
times letters tied under the wing, and thew
fly hundreds of milestone hundred miles in
an hour-carrying message So I have
thought l would like to have it now. Oh,
heavenly Doyel bring under thy wing
today, to my soul and to the souls of this
people, some message of light, and love, and
peacei >'N
~ IS not an unusual thing to see people
gather around a well in summertime. The
puts down his cradle at the well
curb The builder puts down his trowel The
traveller puts down his pack. Then one draws
the water for all the rest, himself taking the
very last. The cup is passed around and
he tires OF thirst are put out; the traveller
up his burden.
My friends, we come to-day around the
Gospel well. We put down our pack of bur
lens and our implements of toll. One man
must draw the water for those who have
gathered around the well. I will try and
iraw the water to-day; and if, after | have
"o II oih inns llNillg FOUNTAIN Tor your
soul, Just taste of it myself you will not be.
g l1 me . drink from the water of the
, This Gospel well, like the we'll spoken of in
ne text is well of Bethlehem. David had
known hundreds of wells of water. but he |
wanted to drink from that particular one. |
ana he thought nothing could slake his thirst |
IKE that. And unless your soul and mine can |
;re access to the Fountain open for sin and
incieanness we must die. That fountain is |
me well of Bethlehem 1t was dug in the |
night. 1t was dug by the light of a lantern |
the star that hung down over the |
nanger. 1t was dug not at the gate of /
Jtesars palaces, not in the park of a ,Jeru |
"a bargain maker. 1t was dug in barn. |
ne Gamers lifted their weary heads to listen |
Is the work went on. The shepherds, unable |
% sleep because the heavens were filled with |
lands of music, came down to sec tho OMEN |
ng of the well. The angels of God, at the first |
5ush OF the living water, dipped their chalices
u Joy INTO 1t, and drank to the health of |
,arlh and heaven as they cried GLORY to |
sod in the highest, and on earth PEACE
in our modern barns the water is
brought through the pipes of the city to the |
'ery nostrils OF the horses or cattle; but this |
we'll in the Bethlehem barn was NOT so mucb
or the beasts that perish as for our race
desert-traveled and simoon-
truck Oh, my soul, weary with sin, stoop |
iown and drink to-day out of that Bethlehem |
veil!
"As the heart panteth after the water
brooks, SO my soul panteth after thee, o |
iod." You would get better understand
ng OF this amidst the Adirondacks in sum.
ner-time. Here comes a swift-footed deer.
The hounds are close on the track; it has
capped chasms and scaled cliffs; it is tagged
ut; its eyes are rolling in death;
Us tongue IS IoIIing from Ira foor,;,,
mouth. Faster the deer, faster the DOGS
ntll 1t plunges into Schroon Lake and the
ounds can follow it no farther. and il pnts
own Its head and mouth until the nostriJ ;s
lean submerged in the cool wave and Inn.
erstand it: :" As the heart panteth for the
'ater, brook, so panteth my soul after thee
God. Oh, bring me water from that we'll
little child, who has learned of ,Jesus in
ne Sab6ath-school. bring ne some of
nat living water. Old man. who
fly years ago didst find the we'll
ring me some of that water. Stranger in q
range land, who used to hear sunS in the
highlands of Scotland, to the tune Of URon.
lie Doom, ''The Star, the Star of RetbIe.
EN-" bring me some of that water. Whose.
yer drinketh of that water shall never thirst
Oh that one would give me drink of the wa
r OF the well of Bethlehem which is by the
aten ~ '''o
Again, this Gospel well, like the one spoken
IN the text, is a captured well. David re-
embered the time when that good water of
was in the poSSeS-iop of b;c apoas